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Leaper
Leapers are Necromorphs with the ability to leap long distances toward their prey. Sporting a long scythe-tipped tail made from the victim's intestines and legs, along with razor-sharp fangs, they are extremely deadly foes. More agile than Slashers, they're some of the fastest enemies Isaac will encounter. Overview Leapers appear to be made from intact human corpses, and the extent of their transformation is both minimal and extensive. The arms are virtually left untouched, showing only claws and a slight over-development in the bicep muscles and a lengthening of the lower limbs. The legs are completely re-shaped: flayed, fused together, and lengthened into a single limb tipped with a scything blade of considerable weight and durability, which resembles a scorpion's stinger tail. This extremity is flexible in the extreme, able to scrunch and coil into about a third of its original length and launch the creature at victims at high speed. Considering that it shows no signs in an internal bone structure to push off of, this hints at a tremendous strength. The fore cranial and sinus areas of the skull appears to have been dis-articulated (detached) from the neck, the jaws both upper and lower being mutated and providing the only real attachment points. The upper sets of teeth are completely gone along with most of the palette reaching back into the throat. In their place is a pair of multi-jointed appendages that bear a striking resemblance to the main offensive limbs of Slashers. The lower jaw is split into two curved mandibles ending in knife-like fangs. There is a slight lengthening of the vertebral ridges, and the flexibility of the spinal column is increased to help in locomotion. Leapers are a common Necromorph encountered in the Dead Space universe. They are able to handle Zero-G environments, using their leaping ability to great effect, thus are often encountered in those areas. They are about as durable as a Slasher, and actually have the same weak spots - the arms. However, they can at times require more ammo to take down due to their smaller size, jinky movements, and quick closing speed. If not quickly handled, they can rapidly become a problem due to their quick strikes and fast attacks. In Zero-G areas, Leapers are commonly accompanied by Lurkers. There are also cases where they will be alone. On other very rare occasions, they will group together with Slashers. Leapers also have an Enhanced form that is encountered later in the game. Enhanced Leapers are completely black, but are a dark pale in Dead Space 2, and they possess glowing eyes. They are much tougher than normal Leapers, sometimes taking 2-3 shots from the Plasma Cutter (depending on which difficulty you chose) just to sever a limb. They are also capable of doing more damage than a normal Leaper, so keep your distance. Strategy *Cutting off just one arm will rob a Leaper of the ability to sprint, but it can still leap. If you cut off their tail they will slow down and will not be able to jump. Decapitation is ineffective, but getting both arms will kill the creature. *In Zero-Gravity environments, the Leaper moves more slowly because it must use its arms to anchor itself firmly to the deck. However, it also has an extended jump attack and can engage you from any direction. Since Leapers often travel with Lurkers in Zero-G, keep moving to dodge the Lurker barbs while you defend yourself from Leapers. *Despite being sharp and lethal, a tail blade was useless as a Kinesis-propelled weapon in Dead Space. In Dead Space 2, it can be applied for TK impale. *Enhanced Leapers are a particular threat in poorly lit areas due to their dark color, so never ignore shadowy regions. *If a Leaper is encountered in a Zero-G environment, and on the same surface that you are on, you can continuously run around it in circles, causing it to hold its position as it tries to face you. With the correct timing, it won't be able to move at all while you shoot it. *In Dead Space: Extraction, the Leaper dies upon the severing of its tail. *A direct hit from a Force Grenade to a leaping Leaper can kill the beast in one shot and divert its trajectory away from you. *A Leaper in Zero-G or attached to a wall that loses an arm tends to die outright. *Upon encountering a Leaper in Dead Space 2, one strategy is to use Stasis to slow it down, then to quickly dismember it. However, the Leaper can jump much further in Dead Space 2 than in Dead Space, often jumping right on Isaac from across a large distance. They also have combo attacks, as they will jump on Isaac, staggering him, then immediately swinging their tail. *A fully upgraded Force Gun can stop a Leaper in the middle of a pounce, knocking them to the ground and stunning them, however keep in mind that it takes several shots from primary fire to kill one. *Upon sighting a Leaper, you only have maybe a few seconds tops before it is assaulting you, even from a distance. Keep this in mind and make sure you are equiped with the proper weapon before engaging. Trivia *Visceral Games held a "Get Dismembered in Dead Space 2" contest, in which users submitted ideas for ways Isaac could dispatch an enemy as it grappled him. The winning entry would have their kill used in the game for Isaac, and be featured as a NPC. The winning entry was a way to kill the Leaper, dubbed the "Meat Cello". *There is a glitch at the end of Chapter 11 of Dead Space that causes one of the Enhanced Leapers' dismembered arms to become mysteriously elongated upon death. It usually happens when the player kills a Leaper right in front of the door that leads to the Hangar Bay, but it is unknown if there are any other factors that may cause it. *Leapers are one of the seven Necromorphs that have an enhanced form, the others being the Lurker , Brute, Puker , Slasher , Stalker and the Infector . *Leapers in Dead Space 2 are stronger, faster, and more aggressive than they were in the original Dead Space. They also have a combo attack: the Leaper jumps towards Isaac, hitting him once, then backs up, then quickly attacks again. Rarely, it will attack a third time. *Enhanced Leapers appear to have some strange larvae pouring out of their jawless mouths, even after they are killed. *There are no Leapers in the Zero-G areas in Dead Space 2. *Enhanced Leapers in Dead Space 2 are light grey and have much darker wounds. *Many of the Leaper concept art feature more than one body fused together. Death Scenes *If Isaac fails to escape from the Leaper's mauling, it pins his arms to the floor, bites his head, and decapitates him. If Isaac succeeds, he will kick the leaper off of him. *If Isaac is in low health when it swings its tail, the tail will bisect whatever part of Isaac it hits. thumb|left|200px|Isaac's death by the Leaper. *In Dead Space 2, if Isaac is grabbed by a Leaper and succeeds in getting it off, he will throw the Leaper to the floor and pull on it's tail while crushing it's head under his boot. This was intended to cause the Leapers head to be crushed and it's tail torn off, resulting in it's death. This death was the winning entry of the "Get Dismembered in Dead Space 2" contest, however the Leaper's head just gets crushed, then Isaac throws the Leaper over his shoulder, where it will continue to attack without a head. *It is possible to get around this, however. If Isaac pulls off the move in a narrow area with unacessable "Death pits" like on the catwalks in Chapter 9, he will often throw the Leaper right over the edge where it will plummet to its death. *If though Isaac is grabbed by an Enhanced Leaper and succeeds in getting it off, he will simply kick the Leaper off of him, similarly to Dead Space. Gallery Dead_leper.jpg|Leaper from Dead Space Extraction. Laper.jpg|Close-up of the Leaper. 871000-leaper_super.jpg|Another veiw of the Leaper. 497px-DS2_-_Leaper.png|Digital art of the Leaper. Leaper2--article_image.jpg|Isaac struggles to get a Leaper off of him. leaper concept art.jpg|Concept art of the Leaper. enemy_leaper_redesign03-300x203.jpg enemy_leaper01.jpg enemy_leaper02.jpg|Leaper art. Appearances *''Dead Space: Martyr'' *''Dead Space'' *''Dead Space: Extraction'' *''Dead Space 2'' Sources